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19 May 2016

State Opening of Parliament: May 2016

The Queen at the State Opening of Parliament (Photo: Justin Tallis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

It's that time of year again, everybody: yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom officially opened parliament, which means glittering jewels galore! Here's a look at some of the pieces we saw on display.

Photo: Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Queen always wears the George IV Diamond Diadem on her way to and from parliament. This year, she paired it with two pieces of jewelry from Queen Victoria: her pearl drop earrings and her Golden Jubilee Necklace.

Photo: Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images

For the actual opening itself, the Queen always wears the Imperial State Crown. The event always gives us great views of this important piece of the crown jewel collection. Above, you can see both the Black Prince's Ruby (actually a spinel) and the 317-carat Cullinan II Diamond.

Photo: TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images

A view of the back of the crown shows us the Stuart Sapphire, which weighs 104 carats, and pearls that supposedly belonged to Queen Elizabeth I (suspended beneath the crown's arches).

Photo: TOBY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images

And, just for kicks, here's a look at the top of the crown as well.

For more on the Imperial State Crown, here's a tour of the piece by the wearer herself!

Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

In recent years, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have also attended the state opening -- which I love, because we get another chance to see Camilla absolutely rock major jewels. This year, she wore her go-to tiara -- the Greville Tiara, part of the collection of the late Queen Mum -- with her pearl and diamond earrings and her pearl choker necklace with the round diamond clasp.